Hubby was craving tacos so stopped at Lilly's, on our way home from Solvang, based on some trusty…read moreyelp reviews. Located in a plaza so parking was easy and restaurant easy to find. Menu was really easy, no crazy amount of options - just tacos and you pick the meat. I ordered carne asada tacos and hubby got pork tacos. Tacos had a ton of meat, not fatty and there were many salsa options which were really good. You have to pay extra for grilled onions and jalapeño but it was worth it because it was such a great compliment to the tacos. You get your food pretty fast, can take it to go or sit and eat at one of the clean tables in the restaurant. Would definitely eat here again!

They serve one item - small street tacos…read more The taco's come with a basic small corn tortilla, and it's on you to top it at their bar which basically only includes cilantro, onions, radish, and 3 choices of hot sauce. If that's what you want, you're in luck, but they were a bit expensive for what you received, and I'd rather have a fat flour tortilla burrito or authentic crunchy taco with cheese. The inside of the restaurant feels cold. Just a bunch of tables that you find and seat yourself to while you're waiting for your food to be made.

Simplemente delicioso!!! Pedí unas enchiladas con huevos y…read moreagregué carnitas, y fue una muy buena combinación!! Mi esposo pidió unos huevos rancheros y también estaba deliciosos!! El arroz con leche, el chocolate abuelita también estaba deliciosos, Todo es una explosión de sabor!! Claro que volveremos a este lugar!!

I have never heard of a birria bagel so naturally I was intrigued. We visited el Zocalo on a…read morerecommendation and since we were in IV, decided to try it out. We ordered a breakfast burrito and the BBB bagel. My husband really enjoyed the breakfast burrito and salsas they provided. The birria bagel with consomé was a unique combination that oddly worked. The bagel soaked up the consomé nicely and although really hard to eat, the flavors of the birria, fried egg, and cream cheese went very well together. I got a couple of pieces of inedible fat in my birria unfortunately but the flavor was really good. I wouldn't get this again as it was way too filling for me and instead would opt out for the taco or quesabirria next time. Service was friendly and quick. I really enjoyed the vibe in there and understand why it's a recommended spot.

Best food in IV. That's all that needs to be said. Get their tacos all off them at incredibleread more

Do what the locals do... We were in near the UCSB area and…read morebehind a traffic accident so we drove the campus and to pass the time for the accident to clear, we de used to get the area favorite: fish and shrimp tacos. Headed to Yelp and here we are. The establishment is small and quaint with both indoor and outdoor seating. The attendant at the counter had a great smile and greeted us with grace. Maria's is on the campus so the ambiance will be accordingly enhanced. It was Friday night and the party was live around campus. We ordered 4 and 4 the locals way! The preparation was very well done with diligence and precision. The tacos were absolutely beautiful. The batter was perfect. Golden brown and crisp. The toppings were beautifully colored and the sauce seemed perfect. The first bite was not my expectation. Remember I enjoy some seasoning. I just want it. These tacos aside from the toppings and sauce were very bland. Please dine here, my palate likes seasoning. If you are in the area dine in

born and raised santa barbara so there are certain things you learn early…read more you drive down the 101, take that turn toward isla vista, and something shifts. air changes a little. priorities adjust. time becomes more of a suggestion and then there's freebirds the original one on embarcadero del norte sitting there like it's seen everything because it has i've walked in there wearing flip flops, still sandy, hair doing whatever the ocean decided, salt drying on my face, no shower, no plan, just following the internal signal that says burrito and that's when it works best these burritos operate differently in that state. they're bigger. warmer. more correct. like the whole system is calibrated specifically for post-surf decision making line is long. always has been. mix of people who know exactly what they're doing and people about to learn something important foil everywhere. tortillas moving fast. someone at the front making a choice that will define the next hour of their life guy behind the counter was dialed. didn't catch the name but i'm pretty sure it was barron sawyer. had that calm confidence like he's built a few thousand of these and understands the assignment at a deeper level you step up and it's muscle memory rice, beans, meat, things start stacking, someone folds it like it's a practiced skill passed down over time and then you walk out sun still out. flip flops still on. burrito in hand like a completed mission you take that first bite and everything aligns for a second this place has been around 30 years and it makes sense because it isn't trying to be anything else it already figured it out five stars if you know you know

I used to come to freebirds all the time in highschool - nearly 15 years ago- and it was the best,…read moresuper tasty and always hit the spot. I recently returned and got exactly what I used to get and was disappointed in the lack of seasoning/flavor in general. I saw someone else comment that chipotle has more flavor and I'm inclined to agree-especially when it comes to the chicken. Service is always friendly and fast and I always want to support a local business over a national chain, but I'm sad to say I don't know if I'll be returning after spending $25 for a bland experience.

My fiancé and I were looking for a local spot for breakfast and we ended up choosing Cristino's. I…read morechose the breakfast burrito with bacon and avocado and my fiancé had the chorizo burrito. We both couldn't stop talking about how good they both were. I also grabbed a vanilla concha and that also was perfect with the bread itself being absolutely delicious. The woman who was working there was so nice and made the whole experience great. This is definitely a spot that if I'm ever back in Goleta/Santa Barbara, I would have to come back to.

Our first time at Cristino's where we purchased a breakfast burrito and a breakfast croissant…read moresandwich w/bacon. Both were delicious as were the green and red salsas. Good price point for both items and enough for 2 breakfasts each. Service was great too. Received a warm, friendly greeting and service from Juanita. First impressions are important. It's a small place with no inside dining but it works. It does get busy, so their doing something right. Will definitely return!!

Los Agaves is a Santa Barbara staple and I've never had a bad meal here. It's a casual but not too…read morecasual place with lots of outdoor seating and situated in the courtyard of Camino Real. The line always moves fast and the food comes out quickly too. What compelled me to write this review was because I had a delicious pescado a la diabla, which was a daily special. The fish was a huge portion -- a whole filet with a delicious spicy sauce, perfectly cooked and flaky. The rice and beans are always great, perfectly seasoned and cooked. I also had a passionfruit margarita which was big and well balanced. The salsa bar is very good; the habanero salsa is really tasty but their old version without cream was one of the best salsa I ever had and I'm so sad they don't offer it anymore. It was legitimately spicy. I always love coming here with my friends after a movie so we can discuss the flick over some great mexican food.

Coming from the Bay Area, I definitely had pretty high expectations for Mexican food and Los Agaves…read morewas rather impressive! My friends and I came on a busy Taco Tuesday. You order and pay at the register, grab a number, seat yourself, and your food (along with complimentary chips) is brought to your table. There were plenty of indoor and outdoor seating options. Everything else is self-serve, including drinks and salsa/toppings. Their salsa bar had a great variety and I honestly loved every salsa I tried! You can't go wrong with whatever you choose, but I recommend the avocado salsa. My friend and I swapped a taco from each of our plates, so I was able to try their tacos al pastor and tacos del mar with halibut. The al pastor was particularly flavorful and well marinated, and to my surprise, I enjoyed the pineapple bits in the taco. The halibut tasted fresh and the chipotle sauce on top paired nicely. I also love a good side of rice and beans and I can't even put my finger on it, but it was just so tasty. It got pretty busy during the dinner rush and I was seated right along the order line, but nothing too disruptive to our dining experience. Overall, the food was solid, the staff was friendly, the service was quick, and the vibes were upscale-casual and lively.

Most rancid enchiladas I've ever had. Cheese wasn't even melted. It was still shredded. I had to…read moremicrowave everything. Absolutely disgusting. Their ordering system sucks as well. No option for added salsas. No modifications allowed. I threw everything away. Waste of money. Delivery driver didn't have a name nor would say what their name was. This was absolutely the worst delivery I've ever had.

A drunk Cucas breakfast at burrito hit all of college and now, five years later, can confirm it…read morestill hits. With an entire menu dedicated to breakfast burritos, you can't go wrong with any of them. Top it with the spicy red salsa and the tangy green for balance and this may just be the best breakfast burritos I've ever had.

Very tasty tacos! Probably the tastiest tacos in IV. Super fast (besides if the line is really…read morelong) and I love how cheap it is. Definitely the best is the Al pastor tacos. I can easily finish 5! There's no place to sit btw since they usually host in front of houses as a taco stand

Let's taco bout Roger's Tacos!…read more This is a pop-up stand that operates anywhere and everywhere in Isla Vista (IV). In the beginning, they mostly bounced around different backyards along Del Playa Drive (DP). Recently, they're doing more partnerships with local businesses and fundraisers with student orgs, frats, and sororities. For address information and updates, you will have to follow @rogerstacos on Instagram. Most of the time they start after 4:30 PM and end around 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM, unless they run out of food before. As of January 2023, the typical menu is: Tacos - $2.25 Burritos - $11.25 Cheese Burritos - $13.00 Mulitas - $4.00 Quesadillas - $8.50 Horchata - $2.25 Rice - $2.00 Beans - $2.00 Extra Cheese - $1.25 They accept Venmo! It's safe to say that these tacos are the best in IV. The al pastor is freshly sliced, they bring in one of those vertical broilers that rotate the meat. The asada was prepared nicely, I was expecting it to be a little more charred but it was cooked thoroughly. The pollo was juicy. Toppings and sauces are self-served. Since they set up shop in random college student houses, don't expect too much in terms of ambiance. Seating can be limited, we stood around a dirty beer die table in the backyard of a DP apartment. But it had a great view of the Pacific Ocean. In an article written about the owner Rogelio Muñoz, I read he wanted to open his taco stand at UC Santa Barbara someday, becoming a permanent food stall in the Arbor. It would be amazing if that happened, wishing him all the best!

When I went in all the staff were nice and gave me attention with a kind greeting. It smells a bit…read morelike cleaning products in here but I wasn't mad at it everything looked clean and fresh salsa bar was great woth salsa, some pickled jalapeños and onions, limes. All the works really. Today I got a regular burrito, and it's loaded. There is rice beans, chicken, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo. My total was about $16 without a drink, which as a student is a bit pricey. however I felt like I got good value and it seems like they get slow buisness. I don't prefer it to free birds in Isla Vista but I found it to be filling, cheaper, and with a salsa bar I really enjoy. Maybe I'll stop by before work another time!

Ambiance is typical walk up and order taqueria. No comments on service since we were leaving Santa…read moreBarbara and heading back to the Bay Area so we wanted to grab something (other than fast food) that we could eat in the car. The burritos were generously big and tasty, but mostly rice and beans. It was a good grab for a road trip and everybody was satisfied. So, while nothing to rave about solid 3 stars for just good food.

I was recommended this place by an old friend and I had no idea it was there! I ordered their…read moredouble char burger meal and a steak burrito and it was delicious! The fries were definitely the star of the show and I could eat them all day. Steak fries are hard to find unless you're eating at a steakhouse so having these so readily available. Their steak/carne asada in their burrito is also so good. I reminds me of the carne asada I would eat during a party at my Tia's house so having it whenever I have the cravings really helps! I'm looking forward to having more fries and more steak!

Burger with 3 patties and 3 cheeses.... So. Very. Yummy…read more Love that this is like the original habit style burger. I was in the mood for regular onions not grilled ... it had that fresh taste as well. Fries were super filling and enjoyed the salsa bar to add a little kick to my options of sauces. Thanks you for the great burger and friendly service!